This invention relates to service vehicles and more particularly to that class of vehicles in which repeated and frequent access to an occupants"" space within the cab is facilitated by maintaining a cab door in an open position.
With service vehicles such as refuse trucks, it is often desirable to facilitate relative ingress and egress of workers into and out of an occupants"" space in a cab. As an example, a trash truck servicing a residential neighborhood will move from residence to residence as workers empty the contents of trash cans into a trash transporting body carried by the vehicle. When a trash vehicle is servicing such a neighborhood, workers will often board the vehicle to ride relatively short distances between pick-up locations.
In order to expedite such a refuse collecting operation, at least the passenger side door will be maintained in an open condition and often the driver""s side door will also be maintained open.
A problem with maintaining such doors open is that the front wheel fender typically interferes with a door swinging to a full open position. Accordingly, articulated doors have been developed in which a lower section is pivotal about a generally horizontal hinge to bring the lower section into juxtaposed relationship with an upper section. Typically, such juxtaposed sections are then secured together in a full open position.
A problem that has manifested itself, is that if the lower section of the door is not pivoted upwardly into aligned relationship with the upper section before a door opening to a full open position is attempted, the door will collide with the wheel or its fender preventing achievement of a full open condition. Such collisions frequently cause damage to either or both of the colliding parts of the vehicle.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a vehicle construction in which a door can be swung to its full open position when, but only when the upper and lower sections are in the juxtaposed relationship.
With a vehicle constructed in accordance with the present invention, an articulated door is provided which has upper and lower sections pivotally connected for relative pivotal movement about a generally horizontal axis. The door sections have a vertically aligned condition for closing an access opening into a vehicle passenger compartment. The door sections are relatively pivotal to allow the lower section to be swung upwardly to place it in a juxtaposed relationship with the upper section to enable positioning the door in a full open position.
A novel tether is provided that extends between the vehicle cab and the lower door section. The tether is sized such that it prevents the door being swung to a full open position when the sections are in their vertically aligned condition. Rather the tether limits door opening when the sections are aligned to a partially opened position in which collision with the wheel or fender is avoided. The size of the tether and the location of its connections to the cab and lower door section are such that when the door sections are in their juxtaposed relationship, the door can be swung rearwardly to a full open position wherein it is latched to maintain the full open position and the juxtaposed relationship of the door sections. Latching is provided for maintaining the door in the juxtaposed relationship and in its full open position.
The tether is sized and located such that the door cannot reach the full open position unless the door sections are in their juxtaposed relationship. Moreover, if the latch for maintaining the door in its juxtaposed relationship is disconnected when the door is in its full open position, the lower section is prevented from moving to the aligned condition. Since the lower section cannot move to the aligned condition, damaging door impact with a fender or wheel is prevented.
Accordingly, the objects of the invention are to provide a method and apparatus of controlling opening of an articulated door while avoiding damage to the door or other vehicle parts.